Blown off course
Severe weather hits shipping around the UK
Seatruck Ferries brought in an 11-strong team from Dutch salvage specialist SMIT, to begin preparations to refloat ro-ro freight ferry Riverdance (1977/6,041gt), which grounded off Blackpool in stormy conditions on the night of 1 February. The vessel was struck by a freak wave, near the end of a crossing from Warrenport to Heysham, which caused cargo to break free and cause a list that at one stage was as severe as 60 degrees.

Lumber ship lost off Devon
The Greek-registered 7,148dwt bulker Ice Prince sank 35 miles south east of Berry Head on 15 January after developing a severe list, possibly because of a cargo shift in heavy weather, with the wind gusting to force eight and accompanied by a five-meter swell. The ship was carrying about 5,200 tonnes of sawn timber.

Genesis of something big
Project Genesis, the largest cruise ship to ever make it from drawing board to production, took a significant step in its journey towards the sea on 11 December 2007 at Aker Yards in Turku, Finland. At the keel-laying ceremony, the first blocks constructing the 220,000grt vessel were laid into the bottom of the dry dock.

Aground off Dover
In the early hours of 2 January Dover Coastguard were in contact with the German-owned and registered container vessel LT Cortesia after radar monitoring of the traffic separation zone indicated she had come to a sudden stop close to the Varne Bank. The crew confirmed that the vessel had run aground on the Varne Bank. Dover Coastguard immediately tasked the Coastguard ETV Anglian Monarch to assist.

Pont l'Abbé bought
Brittany Ferries provided a winter surprise with confirmation of the purchase from DFDS of the 30-year-old Pont l'Abbé, the vessel used on charter for its Western Channel services between Plymouth and Roscoff for the past two years.

SeaFrance purchase ferry flier
One of Europe's fastest conventional ferries, the 27.5-knot former Superfast X (2002/30,285gt), will make a summer debut for SeaFrance on services between Calais and Dover. After first considering a newbuilding, SeaFrance entered the second-hand market to boost its English Channel line-up, securing the 770-passenger/660-car vessel, currently Jean Nicoli, from SNCM Ferryterranee partner Veolia Transport.

Bump halts Speed One
The SpeedFerries service from Dover to Boulogne was suspended for two days immediately after Christmas following damage to one of the hulls of the catamaran Speed One. The 86m Incat was holed when making contact with the Prince of Wales Pier in Dover while being moved without passengers on board after a final sailing on 27 December. Repairs were completed over the weekend and Speed One was back in service from the morning of 31 December, while motorists holding Saturday or Sunday reservations either rebooked or were fully reimbursed.

Dream turns sour
NCL's Norwegian Dream collided with a barge in Montivideo on 11 December 2007 as she was leaving the port, with 1,700 passengers aboard, on the second day of a 14-day cruise from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. The barge, which was being towed by a tug, lost steerage and veered into the path of the outbound cruise ship in the port's relatively shallow main access channel. Five containers and several cars tipped over the side of the barge into the River Plate, while Norwegian Dream sustained a 7ft gash to her bow above the waterline, a crack to her forward upper deck and damage to the forward ballast tank. No injuries were reported.

Independence to arrive early
Royal Caribbean's third Freedom class ship, Independence of the Seas, currently under construction at Aker Yards, Turku, Finland, will be delivered earlier than planned and will arrive at her summer home port of Southampton on 25 April.

New orders for AIDA
Carnival Corporation, parent company of Rostock-based operator AIDA, has ordered two more ships from Meyer-Werft, Papenburg, at a cost of €765 million, increasing the total of new ships on order to five, all sisters of AIDAdiva, which entered service last April. AIDAbella is due next month, with a third, as yet unnamed ship, being delivered in a year, and consecutive deliveries in April 2010, April 2011 and May 2012.

Back to work for Grimsby
HMS Grimsby has returned to sea for the first time since striking the side of a Norwegian fjord in February 2006. The minehunter was placed back in the water via synchrolift in mid-December 2007 following the completion of an extensive repair and refit programme lasting almost 18 months and costing nearly £4 million. Repair work to the damaged hull at Babcock's in Rosyth included a full structural re-lamination.

Finale for old Lion
The former HMS Fearless has arrived at her final destination for scrapping after bad weather caused numerous delays to the planned departure date. The amphibious assault ship was decommissioned in 2002 after 37 years service. This included a contribution during the Falklands War when she performed the role for which she was built by delivering Royal Marines ashore.

Medusa fire setback
Restoration of the World War II Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML) Medusa suffered a major blow when fire gutted the boatyard where the work was being carried out. The blaze at Hythe Ship Yard on 30 October 2007 is thought to have started accidentally and destroyed the workshop and engineering shed. Medusa's original main engines, which had been removed from her for refurbishment, were severely damaged, but there is a good chance that they can be salvaged.

Irish ferry survives in Dublin
It looked like the end of the line for Irish Railways' Aran Islands ferry Naomh Eanna. It was September 1988, and the passenger/cargo vessel had failed an inclination test introduced in the wake of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. The Irish Department of the Marine decided not to renew her Passenger Ships Safety Certificate, and she was withdrawn from service.

Flying Phantom lost in tragic accident
The Clyde tug Flying Phantom and three of her crew were tragically lost when the vessel capsized and sank near Clydebank on 19 December 2007. Owned by Svitzer, Flying Phantom was one of three tugs towing the 39,000grt bulk carrier Red Jasmine, bound for Rothesay dock, in dense fog when the incident occurred. Initial reports indicated the tug may have grounded during the towing operation but the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is carrying out an extensive investigation.

Pusher tug returns to the Mersey
A pusher tug and barge combination is in use on the Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal for the first time in a decade. Peel Ports' Liverpool-Manchester Shuttle is capable of carrying up to 160 20ft ISO containers between Liverpool's Royal Seaforth Docks and Manchester's Irlam Container Terminal.

Klyne Tugs sold
Britain's oldest tug & barge company, J. P. Knight, has acquired a majority interest in Klyne Tugs, the current provider of Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) to the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). There will be no change to the Klyne organisation, which will remain an entirely autonomous subsidiary of J. P. Knight (Caledonian) Ltd under the new holding company J. P. Knight (Anglian) Ltd. The deal includes all of Klyne Tugs marine activities, with the founder and proprietor of the Klyne Group, Roger Klyne, retaining a ten per cent stake in the new holding company.